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What is the history of the word gangster?
Gangster came into the English language at the latter portion of the 19th century, as one of what is now a large parcel of words which have been formed by adding the noun combining form –ster to an existing word. The ending -ster has a number of possible meanings (“one that does, handles, or operates,” “one that makes or uses,” “one that is associated with or participates in,” “one that is”), and one of its interesting elements is that it has, in many cases, shifted its gender. This second portion of gangster comes from the Old English -estre, meaning “female agent.” The word tapster ("a bartender"), for instance, was tæppestre in Old English, and designated a barmaid, or female tapster. In modern use the addition of -ster may often be found in a gender-neutral sense, as with hipster, or with implications of masculinity, as with gangster and mobster, through prevalence of usage.
Synonyms
Examples of gangster in a Sentence
Patrick Frater, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024
Tyler takes aim at the masks people wear to hide from their true selves, evoking a middle-class gangster and a closeted religious zealot.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2024
Liam Neeson, in perhaps his final appearance in an action film, portrays a gangster trying to make amends.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024
Matt Reeves’ vision of Gotham in The Batman as a haunted city filled with old-timey gangsters is a faithful depiction, but considerably more grounded than traditional Batman stories.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gangster 
Dictionary Entries Near gangster
Cite this Entry
“Gangster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gangster. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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